Black Entrepreneur Launches HBCU Bingo to Honor 2020 Grads With Over $1 Million in Game Prizes and Cash
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Posted By: Will Moss on June 04, 2020 Veteran Hollywood TV Producer and HBCU graduate herself, TeeJ Mercer, will launch ‘TeeJ’s Bingo Nite: HBCU 2020 Grad Edition’ (TBNHGE), a loud and lively online Bingo game event that will award over $1.3 million in donated career-launch professional services and products to all players of the 4-day HBCU Bingo events. With over $14K in cash for prize winners of the TBNHGE tournament games. 2020 graduates of HBCUs are invited to play each of the four Saturday nights in June, beginning Saturday, June 6 at 7:15pm ET/4:15 PT, on Zoom and streamed on Facebook. TO REGISTER to play, visit TeeJsHBCUBINGO.com TO WATCH, visit Facebook.com/TeeJsBingoNite As a proud graduate of Howard University, TeeJ (pronounced TJ) has advocated for HBCUs throughout her professional TV career in Hollywood, and she even left southern California to relocate to Atlanta in March 2020 to develop a new television program for and about HBCU students. She moved days before the pandemic shut down her TV project and all of Georgia, and immediately she felt isolated. She comments, “I’m an extreme extrovert, known as the World’s Greatest Hugger, and here I am stuck in a new city; I can’t be social and I can’t hug anyone, so I was lonely and miserable. My cousin set up a virtual family Bingo game and since I have an engaged following, halfway through, I knew I wanted to plan a game for my social media pals. One night. $10 prize pots of my own money. And 10 games.” With the larger player group, TeeJ added a DJ, dance breaks, and allowed the winners to plug their hobbies or small businesses. Six weeks and 700 registrants later, she’d given away almost $10,000 in donated cash and prizes. Friends wanted to bless friends through the pandemic. The games became more and more fun with unique elements added to keep the atmosphere charged. One night it dawned on TeeJ that HBCU grads around the US missed out on the rich traditions of an HBCU graduation ceremony and it made her depressed. But she was suddenly divinely inspired to throw a Bingo tournament for 2020 HBCU grads as a consolation; she could offer small cash prizes as graduation gifts. TBNHGE was born! She comments, “I started tapping family and friends hoping that I might be able to raise $100K. But with no fundraising, no ads, and no social media campaigns, I was literally brought to tears when I learned, we had broken over $1M in services and over $14K in cold hard cash…in under 4 weeks. Unbelievable.” The $1.3M is a significant haul and consists of needed professional services that will be gifted to every graduate who registers, even if they do not win. Prizes include everything from: professional LinkedIn bios to subscriptions to a Black professionals’ dating site; masterclasses that are applicable to all majors and are taught by global leaders who work with Fortune 500 companies, and even an opportunity to work alongside a Grammy-winning music producer. The $14K cash prizes will be handed out in various increments, at the end of each Bingo round: 7 per night. The Grand Prizes consist of cash and prize awards in the following increments for each week: • $1,000 cash the 1st week, and a minimum total prize package of $8,477 • $1,500 the 2nd week, and a minimum total prize package of $8,977 • $2,000 the 3rd week and a minimum total prize package of $9,477 • $2,500 the 4th and final week, and a minimum total prize package of $9,977 Grand Prizes are awarded in round 7 – the final round of each night, plus one lucky Grad will win a Macbook laptop each week. With all the clowning, trash-talking and hilarious shenanigans that ensue, TeeJ quickly reminds us, “This ain’t your grandmama’s Bingo.” Utilizing the hashtag #TeeJsHBCUBingo, the virtual graduation-consolation celebration of the class of 2020, will feature a social media collection of celebrity congrats videos, and live posting of winners in June on TeeJsHBCUBingo social channels (Twitter, Instagram Facebook). Those who would like to donate to the TBNHGE to increase the prize for the 2020 HBCU grads can send a tax-deductible gift via Cash App, Venmo or via PayPal and Zelle to TeeJ@TeeJBingoNite.com For more information about TBNHGE, log on to TeeJsBingoNite.com Registration to play is FREE and open to all 2020 HBCU grads. PRESS CONTACT: Judi Durand judi.durand@dajdpr.com 703-725-6017 If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Will Moss
Founder & CEO, HBCU CONNECT, LLC Hampton University class of 1995 Member Since June 1999 |
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